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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · vault · fork · fan · degree · foot · chair · bear

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fork — in a road
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. degree — an amount
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com